In a Conversation with Mr. Tarun Arora, Director of IG International Pvt. Ltd.

Let’s begin with the IG International role in the Cold Storage and reefer segment. Please elaborate your product portfolio with regard to Cold Chain Industry?

IG Supply Chain Pvt. Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of IGIPL, caters to the business of third party logistics and temperature controlled warehousing. Presently, we have facilities in Mumbai, Chennai, Bangalore, Jaipur and Amravati with a total capacity of 25,000 pallets. We also have a fleet of 75 modern refrigerated trucks.

How do Company’s Reefer and Logistics Systems contribute to easier functioning?

From the ports, the pallets are loaded and carried to our cold storages through our refrigerated trucks and stored after a quality check. From here they are distributed to the wholesale outlets, and from these outlets, they are sold to retailers and the supermarkets. Supermarkets like ​Reliance, Walmart and Big Basket repack them again into smaller versions of packagings and the product is ready to be delivered to the customers.

For close to 46 long years, the company has led the development of numerous technologies and innovations in the Cold Chain Projects. Anything new in the bag for Logistics?

​We have always been doing something new and innovative in respect of cold chains. Since we are so closely linked to fresh produce, we believe in bringing the latest technologies to help reduce product losses with better cold chains. We look at every step very closely, for example, in pre-cooling, we are currently working on an innovation which will help pre-cool produce in just a couple of hours. We have installed Controlled Atmosphere Cold Storages which helps apples stay fresh for one year without any change in texture and taste.

How ready is the Indian Perishable Supply Chain industry for state-of-the-art technologies?

India is a developing country and with the government initiatives of Make In India, it is getting ready for state-of- the-art technology. From importing parts to manufacturing them here, the Indian Supply Chain Industry is gaining experience and strength to adopt modern technologies. At IG International too, we are phasing out old technologies and ushering in an era of modern technology.

What is your USP in terms of creating value for your customers?

Our USP is quality and variety, as we source a very large variety of high quality produce from across the globe.

In addition, we have a strong pan India presence. We believe in innovation and in each new installation we try to bring something new in the cold chain industry.Our other important USP is service. We are in an industry which believes in 24 X 7 working, and our entire organisation’s work culture is tuned to that. We always believe in giving the best of service at the most competitive prices.

IG International has wholesale outlets, distribution centers and cold storage across 21 branches all across India and overseas? Any other plans on the list?

IG Supply Chain is in the process of opening five new facilities, which are expected to become operational by early 2016. Large-scale cold storage facilities are coming up in Chennai, Bangalore and Delhi and we have one under implementation in Himachal Pradesh for controlled atmosphere storage of apples. There will be another one coming up in Mumbai as well.

Anything else you would like to share about the company and product that IG International is offering to the Cold Storage and Cold Logistics Industry?

​As mentioned earlier, our CA Cold Storages are one of a kind with customized packaging/​​ waxing/ pre-cooling solutions in which we have enormous expertise and experience. We are now setting up a frozen storage facility in Chennai, which will help us cater to all industries in cold chain including frozen products.